When embarking on an open data project for the first time, agencies and departments often look to already successful efforts as planning guides. There is no “one size fits all” governance body because organization size and structure shape open data governance. For instance, California’s Health and Human Services Agency is a multi-tiered agency that created an agency-level executive governance team and also created department-level teams. While the agency team identified legal considerations and data to collect as well as established policy, standards and order of release, the department teams identified, collected, cleaned and otherwise prepared their data and documentation for agency approval. Later, the agency tasked the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development with helping new departments release their data. Smaller agencies, such as the State Controller’s Office, often have a flatter structure and simplify governance into a single team responsible for open data planning and implementation.
Both Health and Human Services and the Controller’s Office included the roles below at each governance level, with some people acting in multiple roles. A governance team in a different agency or department might vary somewhat depending on mission and size.
Executive Sponsor: A new and public initiative like open data needs executive support. This means an executive sponsor who will align the project with agency objectives, assist in overcoming internal concerns and guide organizational culture change. An executive sponsor takes ultimate responsibility for the project, sets a vision for the team and shepherds the project to completion. Agency executives may eventually delegate final sign-off authority to a department director or designee.
Project Manager: A project manager develops a plan, monitors progress and follows through with goals by acting as the liaison between agency and department-level teams. If an organization does not have a project management office, this person could be the data publisher or someone with authority over the current data publication process. This might also be a subject matter expert with experience running projects.
Chief Information Officer: This executive-level technology expert advises about internal information operations and interoperability, technical capabilities and security.
Legal Counsel: A legal adviser helps open data by focusing on privacy, intellectual property rights and Public Records Act compliance and responsibilities.
Relevant Department, Program or Unit Directors: Unit and program directors may be more or less involved in a governance structure depending on agency or department size, staff expertise and when they are actively publishing data.
Public Affairs: Public information experts strategize how to optimize reaching the public, media and other stakeholders who will not only consume data but also provide feedback. They identify and create new audiences, track responses and establish new partnerships and collaborations.
Subject Matter Experts: These staff can answer specific questions about a dataset topic or policy issue. In smaller departments, the same people might attend meetings more regularly. But, in larger departments these unique specialty experts will likely cycle in and out as each program or unit with data moves forward.
Data Steward/Publisher: This expert writes the draft metadata and documentation and reconciles small cell sizes or any other dataset peculiarities. This staff person should be obvious. They are usually an encyclopedia of how the data have changed and when. In very limited cases this team member may be the data publisher – the person responsible for signing off on a steward’s work.